


Be Careful Who You Break-Up With

by STARSdidathing



Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Thor (Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Awkward Conversations, Awkwardness, Confessions, Developing Relationship, Friends to Lovers, Friendship, Light Angst, Loki & Tony Stark Friendship, Loki (Marvel) Feels, Loki (Marvel) Needs a Hug, M/M, Minor Original Character(s), Pining, Possibly Unrequited Love, Tony Stark Has A Heart, Tony Stark Is a Good Bro, Wordcount: 1.000-5.000
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-07
Updated: 2018-04-07
Packaged: 2019-04-19 15:51:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,407
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14240664
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/STARSdidathing/pseuds/STARSdidathing
Summary: Loki breaks up with a lot of people, but this is the first time one of them has shown up at Tony's apartment wanting to talk to him.





	Be Careful Who You Break-Up With

**Author's Note:**

> So, wow. This is a story idea from way back in _October 2015_. :O Talk about an old plot idea! I managed to get it penned last month but wanted to give it a bit of an edit, so it has sat, untouched for a few weeks. I'm happier with it now, so I hope you enjoy it too :D
> 
> And extra thanks to **NovaRain** who read the first draft of this and helped with summary and title and then **StagLynxSpider** who was awake and willing to read the second draft and help with tags before I posted. I'm so glad you're both willing to read all the fic I throw at you, my precious darlings. Thank you so much!! ♥ XD

The last person Tony expected to see when he dragged himself away from his invention to reach his apartment door and open it was Loki’s boyfriend.

Tony had only met the guy a couple of times, but he’d always seemed nice enough; a little overly affectionate for Tony’s tastes, but Loki hadn’t seemed to mind. Still, Tony really hadn’t anticipated the guy coming _here_. They weren’t that close, hell, Tony wasn’t even sure about the guy’s name: Trent? Tyson? Timothy?

He was sure it started with a ‘T’.

“Hello, Tony,” The guy greeted, his voice flat and his expression somewhere between downtrodden and determined.

“Erm, hi.” Tony murmured before offering with a slight shrug, assuming it was the only reason the man had shown up at his doorstep. “Loki isn’t here.”

“Yeah, I know that,” the guy--let’s go with Trent--told him, his jaw clenching and something sparking to life in his eyes. “I’m here because he just broke up with me.”

 _No surprises there_ , Tony thought absently; knowing how rapidly Loki cycled through lovers. He was almost as bad as Tony, even if Loki kept them around for a lot longer than Tony ever did. Didn’t mean he couldn’t feel some pity for the guy, not that it would help Trent win Loki back.

“Sorry man,” he offered. “But if you think I’m going to change his mind, I’m sorry to disappoint you, but-”

“No,” Trent said, his brows furrowing as a scowl began to form. “No, I’m not here to ask that. I’m here to tell you _why_ Loki just broke up with me.”

 _Fucking great, Loki_ , Tony cursed at his best friend, _you had to have the fucking clingy one in your car when you stopped by my apartment._

“Look,” Tony started, trying to cut this off quickly, “I really don’t think I need to know-”

“He’s in love with you.”

And that... that derailed Tony pretty rapidly as he just blinked at the other man for a long, confused moment. “Huh?”

Trent crossed his arms; he looked frustrated and stubborn. He also continued to explain with simple, blunt statements that felt like slaps to Tony’s face. “As far as I can see, Loki’s always been in love with you. But, like fuck he’ll admit it if you ask him. Loki just dates people until he gets tired of them not being you and then kicks them to the curb. Did you know he’s called out your name in bed before?”

The man paused, as if waiting for a reaction but Tony could only stare in stupefied shock, his mind reeling as his brain tried to understand the information being handed to him so artlessly - as his mind tried to _comprehend_ the idea of _Loki calling his fucking name in bed._

Trent’s smile was bitterly satisfied. “It happened when we first hooked up. I didn’t know who you were, didn’t really care and I’m pretty sure Loki didn’t notice he did it, but I guarantee you’re the one he thinks about when he fucks people; he always closes his eyes and tries to stay silent.” Trent chuckled darkly. “He sure as hell never called _my_ name while we dated.” He scoffed. “Not that it’s dating, not when he’s only got eyes for you. He’ll drop _everything_ for you and I bet he’d sell his soul if it got you to look at him. He’d definitely pay a small fortune to be able to fuck you.” He shook his head. “Fuck. No, he’d probably pay the money just to go on a _date_ with you. He’s that fucking hopeless for you.”

“I, uh,” it was all Tony managed to get out, a few stuttered words that didn’t mean a thing, not when his brain was still trying to reboot and respond to the dump of sudden, unexpected, _unimagined_ information.

“Yeah, it was obvious you had no idea,” Trent continued. “But I think it’s time you _did_. If he’s going to break up with everybody he dates because of his candle for you, then I’m going to save the next sad, sorry person in line the pain of being kicked out on their ass just because they’re never going to be his _precious Tony Stark_.” 

He almost spat the last words, his anger and hurt impossible to hide even as he stepped back from the door and from Tony. He drew in a breath, forcing his voice back to something level. “So yeah, that’s it, and if you don't believe me, well, you don't have to, but just go and ask Loki about it.” Trent shook his head, running a hand through his hair--his _brunet_ hair, Tony realised; hair that wasn’t styled like Tony’s but fuck, it was close enough. “We both know he'll never lie to _you_.”

Trent didn’t say anything else, just turning on his heel and walking away. He left Tony standing there staring after the man in astonishment. He felt like he’d been hit with a sledgehammer. He’d been friends with Loki for years and he hadn’t had a god damn clue?

But, fuck, all of Loki’s boyfriends looked a little like him, didn’t they?

Loki always smiled at him so softly and pulled Tony into a hug, laying them down on the couch, holding him close and teasing him, but looking at him with... with _love in his eyes, holy shit._

 _Did you know he’s called out your name in bed before?_ Tony couldn’t remember the last time he’d blushed, but fuck, that did it. He ran an awkward hand through his hair. He looked up and down the hall but thankfully, no one had eavesdropped.

Stepping back into his apartment, Tony shut the door but didn’t do much else. He just... stared into space and tried to think about what the fuck he’d been told. 

Loki was in love with him. 

But, no, surely Trent was being a spiteful, bitter, ex? Surely Loki wasn’t... wasn’t _that_ deeply in love with him to be holding an ever burning candle for years? Loving him in silence and never finding an actual boyfriend all because he still wanted to keep a spot open for Tony? Surely he didn’t _think about Tony during sex?_ Surely he wasn’t so fucking obvious that everyone but Tony could see what was going on?

...So why then was Tony’s gut filling with a horrified, sinking realisation? Why then could Tony look back on their friendship and see all the things he’d missed or catalogued as _friendship_ when he should have worked out it was _love_.

 _Fuck_ , Tony thought, rubbing a hand over his face. _I need to talk to Loki._ Yet the idea made Tony’s hands feel clammy and he swallowed thickly around a suddenly dry throat. _But what the hell am I even going to say to him?_

* * *

It took Tony a good hour before he was able to bring himself to visit Loki, and even when he got there, he hesitated with his hand raised over the wood. A part of him wanted to turn tail and run, to bury his head back in the sand, block his ears and claim _‘lalala, not listening’_. But Tony knew that this wasn’t something he could ignore or pretend hadn’t happened. Loki deserved better than that. He’d deserved better for years and Tony couldn’t go back to being callously oblivious.

Closing his eyes for a moment, Tony readied himself before knocking on the door. It didn’t take long for Loki to reach and open it, and the moment he registered Tony he was grinning brightly; his green eyes flooding with warmth and happiness. 

“Tony,” he greeted, gesturing for him to come inside. “If you’re planning to try and con dinner out of me, you’re not going to have any luck. It’s takeout tonight.”

His words, instead of prompting the light-hearted tease Tony would normally give; they made him avert his gaze. It made him realise how often he came here after an inventing binge and how much Loki encouraged him to be around. God, Tony would often make his way here on autopilot; chatting to Loki about everything he’d just created, stealing Loki’s clothes so he could have a shower and dropping down on the couch to have a home-cooked meal that Loki had made for them to enjoy.

Loki would listen to him with a fond smile and never tell him to stop. He’d always hum at the right places, ask pointed questions and tease Tony about how ridiculous he looked in Loki’s clothes. But it wasn’t just tease, was it? Loki’s eyes always flared with something longing for a split-second when Tony walked out of the bathroom dressed in a green shirt and baggy pyjama pants. He always _refused_ to let Tony store some of his own clothes at Loki’s apartment. He claimed that giving Tony an inch of closet space would make him take a mile, but that wasn’t it at all, was it? Loki just didn’t want to lose his chance of seeing Tony in his clothes.

 _Fuck_ , Tony cursed all over again, _how have I been so fucking stupid?_

“Tony?” Loki asked, a hand lightly coming to rest on his shoulder. “Are you alright?”

And wasn’t that a loaded fucking question? How did he even drop this into conversation gently? Tony was terrible at emotions and feelings. Why else did he only ever have one-night-stands?

“Tony?” Loki tried again, his concern rising.

Tony just licked his lips. “Um, your boyfriend-”

“My ex,” Loki corrected. “We broke up.” He tilted his head, looking confused. “What about him?”

Tony swallowed. “I knew you broke up.”

Loki’s frown only deepened. “How did you know? It only happened a few hours ago.”

“He came to see me,” Tony admitted. “He, uh, had some things to say.”

Loki’s confusion only seemed to mount, but there was also something else - something _worried_ sparking to life in his eyes. His hand also felt a little heavier, a little stiffer where it rested on Tony’s shoulder. “What did he tell you, Tony?”

Looking into Loki’s eyes, Tony had a feeling Loki saw the answer even before he said it, his green eyes widened, his shoulders tensed and his already fair skin paled. “He told me what you... feel for me.”

Loki seemed frozen for the longest time, before _rage_ filled his eyes and flooded his face. “That _piece of utter excrement_.”

He followed the words by cursing in a language Tony didn’t know. He also let Tony’s shoulder go and started to pace, gesturing angrily with his arms and slipping in and out of English as his fury mounted. Tony just stood there and watched him, catching enough words to piece together that Loki was threatening to disembowel his ex with a rusty knife.

He was a sight to behold when he was angry, and Tony had never seen Loki more furious than he was right now. He was moving like a cornered animal and lashing out with words when his target wasn’t in easy reach. Tony just continued to watch him for the near ten minutes it lasted until Loki finally calmed down enough to stop moving. He didn’t look directly at Tony when he stopped; his hands were still clenched in fists at his sides and the flush of anger had fled his face leaving him gritting his teeth and looking an almost sickly shade of white.

Tony didn’t need the confirmation at this point, but he still asked for it quietly, “You are in love with me, aren’t you?”

Loki jerked his face to look at Tony, his eyes wide; like an animal that wanted to bolt. His mouth was twisted in a pained grimace and his eyes were pools of agonised regret. He eventually tore his gaze away, swallowing thickly and neither confirming nor denying the words - but Tony knew it was true.

And that made Tony need a very stiff drink. He was pretty sure Loki needed one too.

He didn’t bother asking, not when he hadn’t needed to for years; Tony just walked into the kitchen and quickly found two glasses and the scotch Loki kept on hand for him. It made Tony stare for a long moment, seeing so much in that simple gesture and trying not to squirm with it as he poured them both a large helping. Walking back into the living room, he found Loki hadn’t moved other than to cross his arms and glare at the floor. Tony just sighed before bringing the glass over to his friend and lightly tapping it against his arm. Loki glanced down, staring at it for a long moment before stiffly uncrossing his arms to take it.

Loki made a point not to let their fingers touch--something he always would have done in the past, even going so far as to jokingly link their fingers when Tony had once commented on it. The reminder made something twist in Tony’s stomach and had him taking a sip of his drink while moving to the arm of the couch to sit down. 

When he looked back at Loki it was to find his friend staring at the alcohol with depressed features, looking weary and resigned as his shoulders slumped. He looked nothing like the confident, mischievous, laughing man who made up Tony’s closest and dearest friend.

Loki was the first to break the silence asking with misery lacing his words, “What exactly did he say to you, Tony?”

“Things I don’t think you ever planned for me to hear,” Tony told him simply, but gently.

Loki barked out a harsh, bitter laugh before drinking half of the scotch in one mouthful, making Tony eye him worriedly. 

“And now you know,” Loki remarked grimly. “And now I don’t even get to maintain your friendship.”

“Hey,” Tony quickly disagreed, frowning. “I never said we were going to stop being friends.”

“Oh, don’t even attempt it, Tony,” Loki snapped, turning his glare directly on Tony. “You and I both know that a friendship doesn’t survive something like this. It will be awkward for you and painful for me.” He shook his head sharply and turned away from Tony. “We’ll last a month before we just stop talking.” He let out a harsh breath. “Why do you think I never said anything to you?”

“That’s why you never told me?” Tony demanded. “You really think that little of me?”

“Oh,” Loki bitterly hissed, “I think you know by now how _highly_ I think of you.”

A part of Tony wanted to shiver at the words, at all they implied, but he forced it down. “Then what makes you think I’d throw away years of friendship-”

“ _Friendship?_ ” Loki interrupted, staring at Tony with an intensity that almost made him flinch. “Yes, friendship for _you_ , Tony, but for me it was something far more. It was years of wanting what I could never _have_. It was years of pretending and imagining you could-” But he stopped abruptly, gritting his teeth and looking away. “But now we both know what I want, and what you can’t give me.”

 _Love. Dating. Boyfriends,_ Tony’s mind filled in. It also followed by replaying Trent’s words from earlier: _He’ll drop everything for you and I bet he’d sell his soul if it got you to look at him. He’d definitely pay a small fortune to be able to fuck you. No, he’d probably pay the money just to go on a date with you. He’s that fucking hopeless for you._

It made Tony’s heart ache. It made him want to reach out and comfort his friend with the hugs he’d usually offer Loki when he was upset, knowing the other man would always pull him close. It made him want to prepare Loki’s favourite tea and hand it to him, knowing it would make Loki quirk a smile and complain that Tony never made his tea right. It would make Tony flick him in the arm and threaten to never make it again (a blatant lie, but one they both played along with). It made Tony want to ask, _what can I do to make it better?_ But Tony knew the answer to that, and it was what had him so conflicted.

Loki was his closest friend but Tony had never thought about dating or sleeping with him. They were friends; it meant that Loki wasn’t in the category of someone Tony considered _‘available’_. While Tony wasn’t averse to being with men, he had just rarely met anyone who inspired him enough to climb into bed with them. He also tended to avoid feelings, relationships and _love_ in general.

But, well, Loki was different, wasn’t he? Tony was closer and more affectionate with him than he’d ever been with anyone, even Rhodey. But Loki had wanted and loved him for years. Tony was only two hours into realising his friend had a serious romantic interest in him.

 _A friendship doesn’t survive something like this_ ; that declaration had sunk Tony’s heart and stomach like a stone. The thought of losing Loki made him break out in a terrified sweat. His life was so intrinsically tied to the other man; to lose him would be like losing a limb.

So did Tony have any idea what he was doing? No, not really. But was that about to stop him? No, not at all. Because if Tony did anything in life, it was following his instincts, and his instincts told him to cling to Loki like a fucking limpet and never let him go. 

“Maybe um,” Tony licked his lips. “Maybe we could go out to dinner? Or you could cook or something?”

Loki was very slow to look at him, and when he did, he looked wary. “Tony...”

“No, I’m not... I’m not throwing a friendship like ours aside, but I’m not about to... to pretend this didn’t happen or ask that we stay ‘ _just friends_ ’. I mean, you said I can’t give you what you want.” Tony gave him a tentative smile. “Well, maybe I can.”

“But I-” Loki started to protest, only to stop. He looked like he was running thoughts and calculations through his mind, his fingers twitching and his eyes darting over Tony’s face. It was to Tony’s utter surprise when Loki suddenly stepped close. Blinking, it forced Tony to tilt his head up to look at Loki, but his friend just swallowed. “Can I...” He let out a heavy breath before his hand tentatively came to cup Tony’s jaw. “You don’t have to date me... but I...” his mouth twitched into something that was neither a smile nor a grimace. “When this goes terribly wrong, I’d still like a keepsake.”

Tony’s eyebrows were high on his forehead, but he wasn’t protesting, even when Loki took his time to bend down. Tony’s eyes just fluttered closed as his friend’s lips tentatively brushed over his own. It wasn’t deep, it was honestly one of the chastest kisses Tony had ever shared; but the emotion that washed out of Loki in his shaky exhale made Tony’s stomach clench and made his hand come to lightly touch Loki’s side, hoping to anchor the man who gained so much from such a simple kiss.

When he pulled back moments later, Loki’s smile was both incredibly soft and sadly reconciled. “Will you still have dinner with me, Tony?”

“Yeah,” Tony answered, without hesitation and while looking up into his friend’s face. He also specified it, not only for Loki but himself as well. “Yeah, I’ll _date_ you.”

The corner of Loki’s mouth twitched slightly upwards, as if he was repressing a wider smile, as if he was still terribly unsure about how this would all turn out. _When this goes terribly wrong, I’d still like a keepsake._

But Tony wasn’t the kind of person to throw away years of friendship. He was the kind of person to cling tight to the people in his life that he cared for and could count on. Tony might not have imagined a romantic relationship with Loki in the past, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t imagine one in the future. It didn’t mean Tony couldn’t _try_ , because if Loki was in love with him, if Loki wanted to date him, then for someone who was as important to him as his friend, Tony was ready and willing to change his mind.

**Author's Note:**

> Soo, yeah, this was titled "spitefulexone" in my documents and I basically just wanted the amusement value of someone telling Tony some cold hard facts because they're bitter at Loki ~~and let's face it, suicidal with the amount of wrath Loki could throw at them~~. Buuut, I like to believe that Tony catches up with the program and falls for Loki quick smart now that his eyes are open and he's able to see Loki in a different light.
> 
> I like to imagine that unlike Loki's hopeless scenario, they have their date and it's filled with laughter and hand-holding and a kiss at the end. That it only takes a few weeks of dating for Tony to invite Loki to stay the night. And that it doesn't take much longer for Loki to walk around with a permanent smile on his face and to always steal a kiss from Tony whenever he can, giddy at the idea that this is _his_. And it's a wonderful happy, loving relationship where Loki never has to date a substitute ever again; because he gets to marry Tony instead ;P

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [Loki Odinson's Break-Up Playlist](https://archiveofourown.org/works/14895017) by [theorytale](https://archiveofourown.org/users/theorytale/pseuds/theorytale)




End file.
